Saturday, February 5, 2011

Diaz, Firth Star In "Gambit" Remake


When I heard that the Coen Brothers were scripting a remake of the British film "Gambit," I have to admit I got pretty excited. The duo obviously are fantastic directors, but it could be argued that the brothers might be even better screenwriters, having written the scripts for "Fargo," "The Big Lebowski," "No Country For Old Men" and "True Grit" among others.

So with a great script attached I thought that this film had potential to be a successful remake and now that it has added another cast member, I think it definitely will be one to keep an eye on.

According to Reuters Cameron Diaz is now attached to join Colin Firth in "Gambit," a remake of the 1966 British caper that starred Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine.

In the original starring Caine and Shirley starred the story followed a cat burglar who tries to rob a billionaire of a priceless statue. He enlists the help of a waitress who is a dead ringer for the victim's late wife, but the job's execution is complicated by his relationship with his accomplice.

In the remake, Firth plays a London art curator who plots out an elaborate scheme to con a collector into buying a fake Monet painting. As part of the ruse, he recruits a Texas steer roper (Diaz) to play the part of a woman whose grandfather liberated the painting at the end of WWII.

Firth has always been a favorite actor of mine and he truly was fantastic in "The King's Speech" and I'll be interested to see what he does with Caine's former role. Firth was nominated for Best Actor last year for "A Single Man" and earned another nomination this year for "Speech." I really think Firth and Diaz will have some great chemistry and along with a script from the Coen's, this one should be as witty and entertaining as the original.

Michael Hoffman, who worked on "The Last Station," is set to direct and shooting aims to kick off in London and Texas in May.

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